A recent survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) revealed that more than half of Americans believe that the First Amendment can go too far in the rights it guarantees. The survey, which asked 1,000 American adults about their views on free speech and the First Amendment, found that 53% of respondents agreed with the statement that “The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees,” with 28% expressing that this sentiment mostly or completely aligns with their beliefs.
The survey also highlighted a divide along partisan lines, with over 60% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans believing that the First Amendment could go too far.
Sean Stevens, FIRE’s chief research adviser, expressed concern over the findings, stating, “Evidently, one out of every two Americans wishes they had fewer civil liberties. Many of them reject the right to assemble, to have a free press, and to petition the government. This is a dictator’s fantasy.”
Additionally, the survey revealed that 1 in 5 respondents were worried about losing their job due to complaints about something they said, and 83% reported self-censoring in the past month.
Despite these concerns, only 22% of respondents believed that the right to free speech was very or completely secure. Furthermore, over a third of respondents expressed trust in the government’s ability to make fair decisions about what speech is considered intimidating, threatening, harassing, or indecent.
Overall, nearly 7 out of 10 respondents agreed that America is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to free speech, raising questions about whether the issue lies in being too tolerant or not tolerant enough of controversial speech.
This survey highlights the complex attitudes of Americans towards free speech, with a mix of concerns about the security of rights and a willingness to censor speech they find objectionable.
Stevens concluded, “Americans have little tolerance for certain forms of protected speech and a lot of tolerance for unprotected conduct, when it should be the other way around. This poll reveals that the state of free speech in America is dire.”
